Thousands turned away from entering U.S.- prospective Irish emigrants advised to stay at home
New York, 3 August 1923 - Thousands of prospective immigrants are being blocked from entering the United States.
A Reuters report from New York notes that while almost 2,000 new immigrants from various countries are added daily to the population mix of the United States, a further 12,000 are left to watch on from ships in the bay.
According to Reuters, many will be compelled to spend a week or so on board ships with no guarantee that they will be granted admission.
Archive footage of arrivals at Ellis Island c. 1906 from the Library of Congress
This news follows just a few days after the Irish Independent editorialised that unwelcome guests to the United States were better off staying at home as the US clearly did not want immigrants at this particular time.
The imposition of strict limits on immigration numbers, with small monthly quotas in operation has meant that each month, hundreds of prospective immigrants looking to escape from poverty in Europe for a better life in wealthy America are turned away at Ellis Island.
What’s more, some of those forced to return have denounced their treatment at Ellis Island as scandalous. In its reporting of this issue the Irish Independent cited the case of an individual who was detained for eleven days at Ellis Island and likened the experience to being imprisoned behind iron bars. Another alleged that they had been treated like dogs. The Independent has urged young Irish men and women to bear these realities in mind before contemplating emigration to America.
[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]
